Terming texting while driving as “a dangerous distraction, the automobile club AAA is vehemently pushing the need for introducing a nationwide ban on text messaging while driving.

In its endeavor to persuade federal and state governments to pass laws banning text messaging by drivers in the US, the association has proposed that sending, writing or even reading text messages or e-mails while driving should be prohibited in all 50 states by 2013.

As per AAA, at present, eighteen states and the District of Columbia have enforced laws about texting that cover all drivers; while two other states have imposed a ban on texting by teens or other new drivers.

With studies indicating that nearly one out of every five US drivers admit to texting while driving once a month, AAA is urging motorists to observe October 5-11 as a ‘distraction-free driving’ week – the underlying message being: “Try it for a week, do it for life.”

"The new technologies that help us multitask in our everyday lives and increasingly popular social media sites present a hard-to-resist challenge to the typically safe driver," said AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet.

This week, on Wednesday and Thursday, the distracted driving issue would be taken up at a two-day summit, organized by the US Department of Transportation in Washington, with expert-participants from traffic, transportation, transit, crash prevention, and wireless and electronics businesses.